By SUZANNE SATALINE
Federal agents swept into northern New Jersey towns Thursday morning, arresting about 30 people including several mayors, in a federal investigation into alleged public corruption and a high-volume, international money-laundering conspiracy.
According to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney's office in Newark, the arrests related to the public-corruption probe included Peter Cammarano III, the newly elected mayor of Hoboken; Dennis Elwell, mayor of Secaucus; state Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt; and Leona Beldini, the deputy mayor of Jersey City, the state's second-largest city after Newark.
Arrests that are part of the money-laundering portion of the investigation include several rabbis in New York and New Jersey, the statement said.
Those arrested were expected to be arraigned in court Thursday afternoon. A news conference is scheduled for noon at the U.S. attorney's office in Newark.
New Jersey has been rife with political corruption for decades. Chris Christie, a Republican and former federal prosecutor, is campaigning for governor citing his long track record of winning convictions of public officials.
Write to Suzanne Sataline at
suzanne.sataline@wsj.com
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